Tag Archives: made in nova scotia

What a fascinating museum! The design of the building uses the traditional sky lighting used in factories to take advantage of daylight. Walk through the history of industry in Nova Scotia and experience the stories of work and workers.

There is something for everyone and you can easily spend a few hours here learning stories of the lives of people – children working in industries, women in the home and later on the factory floor, lives of the coal miners and how industries changed over time. Stellarton was an active coal mining area which fueled the industrial age and was an important part of the growth of Nova Scotia.

There are trains of all sizes – real trains and miniature trains. Use the interactive activity to play and learn about how water wheels work. Explore the glass works, quilting looms and spinning wheels from the past, try out the chocolate assembly line, and use the child size crane. Toddlers will enjoy play stations. I enjoyed seeing the industrial arts bus that used to travel around to different schools. Great idea that maybe we could implement again today.

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Browse the gift shop and take home a unique gift.

From the museum, you also can access an 8-kilometre walking trail that follows the East River to the north end of New Glasgow.

Walk in to this tiny shop on Main Street of Antigonish and you are in the midst of a treasure trove of locally made items that engage all your senses.

The Made in Nova Scotia Store is not your normal tourist shop. Everything here is hand made by known crafts men and women, artisans, cooks and artists.

Maple Products, Jams and Jellies

Taste the jams and jellies with the flavors of Nova Scotia. Enjoy the colors and feel of locally grown wool, hand knitted and woven shawls, mitts and sweaters. Explore the exotic hand crafted candles and soaps with scents of lavender, pine, and unscented if that is your preference. Marvel at the jewelry designed with local stones and beach glass with intricate designs in silver. The choices go on and on – Mi’kmaq porcupine quill ear rings, leather moccasins; framed photos and gift cards; hand made quilts, beach stone lamps, wooden frames made from old barn wood. Every corner has unique and local items. You can find body products, blue berries, carved wooden salad servers made from Bird’s Eye Maple and even enjoy home made baked goods or buy free range eggs.

Anna DeCoste, the owner of The Made in Nova Scotia Store says “I had

Anna DaCoste, owner The Made in Nova Scotia Store

been doing crafts for years and really just wanted a place to display my own things. I have a lot of contacts with arts people in the area and the idea just snowballed in a very short time to setup the shop”.

Visitors to the shop are primarily tourists and visitors to Antigonish who are looking for gifts or mementos. They comment that they are so pleased to find a store where they can buy everything local and to easily find such a variety in one location. Everything is made locally and you can learn about the person who made it. There are author bio cards and Anna knows the artisans personally and can give details about who they are and their backgrounds. This is so different from the regular “tourist shop” where items might come from China. Everything is made locally by a known artisan. Local people come in to browse and bring in their visitors as a convenient location to find a wide variety of gifts.

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The Made in Nova Scotia Store is located on the ground floor of a handsome clapboard house that was built in 1857 by Alexander MacDonald, “Sandy the Carpenter” and was originally owned by Master Mariner and Ship Owner, Captain Dan MacDonald who lived here with his household of 13 people. It is one of the charming buildings on Main Street that gives an old world charm to the town.

The store is a boon to the artisans of the Antigonish and surrounding areas. This one-stop outlet gives crafts people a wonderful place to display their works all year round.

Winter shot of The Made in Nova Scotia Store

How to find it: The Made in Nova Scotia Store, 324 Main St. Antigonish NS, Canada (across from Shoppers Drug Mart). Browse the website for products and shipping information.

Nova Scotia – Book by David Orkin. Nova Scotiatells visitors where to eat the best smoked fish, find the most stunning beaches and pick the plumpest wild blueberries. Delving deeper than any other guide, it reveals the best of the province both on and off the beaten track.

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Out and About Nova Scotia

Travel writing and photography in Nova Scotia, Canada by Denise Davies.
This blog is for you whether you are an armchair traveler, planning a trip to this beautiful corner of the world, coming back home after many years away, or continuing to discover the many facets of life in Nova Scotia. Leave your comments on your favorite spots. Browse the pages and posts and SUBSCRIBE to receive updates.
Click on the ABOUT page to see a list and links to all posts. I hope you enjoy this blog and feel free to comment and share your thoughts and favorite places.